100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer's: and Age-Related Memory Loss    by Jean Carper Order:  USA  Can Little, Brown & Co., 2010 (2010) Hardcover      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Having a family history of serious Age-Related Memory Loss and following the research on prevention regularly (vitamin D, turmeric etc.) I was very curious to read 100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer's and see if there was anything new to me covered in the book - and there certainly was. In her Introduction, optimistically titled What to Do While We Wait for a Cure, Carper tells us that learning she carries a gene that makes her and her sisters vulnerable to Alzheimer's, and 'knowing I have inherited this tiny time bomb, which may already be slowly and methodically deconstructing my brain cells and vaporizing my intellect, has dramatically focused my attention on ways to neutralize this threat to my aging brain.' This book is the result and there's some good news right at the beginning when we learn that 'genes are not the final deciders. They can be muted or magnified and partially subdued by your lifestyle and environment.' The volume continues with a hundred 'preventive measures based on research by credentialed investigators, most of whom are affiliated with leading scientific institutions' - from Get Smart About Alcohol and Consider Alpha Lipoic Acid and ALCAR to Walk, Walk, Walk and Make it Wine, Preferably Red. Discussion of each preventive measure is short and sweet. Carper summarizes the research and then advises on What to do? about it. I was especially struck by Ask Questions About Anesthesia, having seen an elderly family friend go into a simple surgery and come out of it with severe dementia. But the overall coverage of preventive measures is thorough and excellent. At the end, Carper suggests Putting It All Together and developing an individual Anti-Alzheimer's Plan (she shares some of her own) in four areas of life: Rev Up and Surprise Your Brain (with something new); Get the Right Type and Amount of Physical Activity; Eat the Right Stuff and Take Supplements; and Take Care of Yourself in both health and social life. If you have any concern about developing dementia, then I highly recommend 100 Simple Things You Can Do to Prevent Alzheimer's: and Age-Related Memory Loss to you. I've already made my own action plan and will keep the book handy as a well-thumbed reference. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more NonFiction books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews